Congratulations to our wonderful board chair, Nancy Regehr of Waterloo, who was honoured with the title of Oktoberfest Woman of the Year in the Arts and Culture Category.
At the awards ceremony on October 5, Nancy was recognized for her exceptional work strengthening our organization, with its 200 singers in five choirs, serving all ages from young children to adults.
Since becoming board chair in November 2013, Nancy has led the choir to sustainability through careful financial management, and also led the transition to a governance board from a working board. The choir had a significant deficit when she started, and now it is enjoying a surplus.
“I am honoured to be in the company of so many talented and dedicated women who are making outstanding contributions to this community,” she said.
Nancy holds a certificate in non-profit and voluntary sector management from Ryerson University. She has run the peace- and development-focused charity, Project Ploughshares, for many years. Now retired, she is vice-chair of the board of Menno Homes, which builds affordable rental housing in Waterloo Region.
She also chairs the Centre for Security Governance, which studies security transitions in fragile, failed and conflict-affected states. She and her husband, Ernie, have subscribed to Philharmonic Choir concerts for many years.
